Bulletstorm meets a storm of words.

By
Hope Corrigan

G2A has released an official statement rebutting the claims of YouTube personality TotalBiscuit and Gearbox Publishing regarding its marketplace practices.

Gearbox Publishing had originally formed a partnership with G2A and planned to release Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition special editions through the seller. Youtuber John "TotalBiscuit" Bain then released a video, criticising the game company's decision to partner with the controversial game download key seller.

G2A has had high-profile issues with fraudulent keys in the past and, after the video's release, Gearbox and TotalBiscuit created a list of demands regarding G2A's market practices, which include making G2A's Shield fraud protection tool free to all customers, as well as putting systems in place to allow companies to more easily flag bad keys.

G2A reportedly did not meet those demands, and Gearbox withdrew from its partnership with the retailer.

G2A has rebuffed the proposed changes by claiming that "all of the requests made of G2A.COM in the ultimatum have in fact long been part of our marketplace"

Its statement addresses concerns over buyer protection by stating that Shield is a premium paid service allowing customer's access to faster resolutions, rather than the only way to receive a refund.

It continues by explaining that the company believes allowing all developers to have access to their keys database could create an unfair environment for legitimate sellers. It adds that "all a developer must to [sic] do is provide evidence that the keys that they want to block have been illegally acquired".

G2A goes on to clarify that for developers wanting more access they must enter into a signed contract to ensure they won't harm the marketplace.

G2A finishes the statement by saying that TotalBiscuit and Gearbox have misled the public about the company: "Most of the allegations levied against us are based on both a lack of knowledge and a lack of desire to learn the other side of the story. The best example of this is quoting false and defamatory statements while ignoring the facts."